A taxi driver from Belfast has opened up on the weekly costs he pays to keep going, and has outlined how maximum fare increases will really help.
According to Belfast Live, the driver, who wished to remain anonymous, first began driving with a taxi firm in the city four years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. Currently, if he works 50 hours per week, he takes home around £300 after deductions, bringing his salary well below minimum wage.
It comes as the Department for Infrastructure has announced an increase in maximum taxi fares in Northern Ireland to "assist the taxi industry and support the wider economy."
The increase, which comes into effect on December 5, will see maximum fares increase by 9.5% during the day and 19.5% at all other times, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Speaking to Belfast Live, the taxi driver explained his weekly deductions, which total up to around £500, and emphasised that the fare increases will be a "big help."
He said: "I pay £190 a week for my car, £152 depot rent but that's going up to £159 the same week the fare increase is coming in. Insurance has gone up this year, a lot of the drivers have told me their's has gone up by around £400 a year.
"Mine is £1,500 a year and when I go to renew in June I'm expecting around £1,900-2,000 per year. My insurance is £40 a week at the minute but I'm expecting it to go up to £50.
"For servicing, I put £10 away for that. You're changing your tyres at least once a year and if you're a decent taxi driver, you'll be putting good tyres on so you get the year out of them. It's around £105 a tyre so you're putting away around £8 a week for that.
"For petrol, I'm spending anywhere from £80-100 a week. My accounts are professionally done each year, my accountant is £300 a year which is very good, and that's around £8 a week.
"When you submit your books, you pay your PAYE and National Insurance, for NI you pay category two and four, which works out £500-600 a year, so that's around £10 a week."
The driver said people need to look beyond the headline figures and see how drivers are impacted, including how staff shortages in the industry have had a knock-on effect.
He said: "People see a headline figure of £20 an hour and think taxi drivers are making a fortune. A normal working week is 37 hours, in that amount of time, a taxi driver can't make money.
"For today so far, I'm at £150 and I've been out since six this morning [nine hours]. That's all I've got today. Yesterday was a bit better, I did 12 hours and got £220.
"£20 an hour would be a great result - I'm averaging around £15-17 per day. That's for working days, if I wanted to work through the night and weekend nights I could earn a bit more than that, but those are unsociable hours and not everybody whose married and has a family wants to do that.
"As taxis have been slow or short staffed, a lot of people are double booking us - they're phoning maybe two or three places and taking who comes first.
"I could be driving to a job that doesn't exist. I could spend 20 minutes getting to a job in town when traffic is busy, then get there and it's gone.
"I've wasted fuel, I've wasted time, and there's no job there, I have no way of getting paid. From my perspective, I don't blame the customer as they want a taxi and they don't really care who picks them up, they just want it as quick as possible.
"If I do 50 hours a week, I'm averaging around £850 but when you take those deductions, there's around £300 a week in it for me.
"With that fare increase of 10% during the week and 20% at the weekend, if you average that out over the week into 15% say, there's probably another £100 a week in it for me which is brilliant, it'll be a great help."
Source: https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/belfast-taxi-driver-weekly-costs-28141209
A man has been sentenced after driving for hire in Manchester despite not being licensed to do so and not having insurance.
The Oldham Times reports that Qamar Rehman, from Oldham, was the driver of a car on Chepstow Street in Manchester city centre on January 22 this year.
He was making himself available as a taxi driver however his car was not licensed as one.
It was also discovered that Rehman was driving without insurance.
At Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on November 2, he was found guilty of both offences in his absence.
Rehman was ordered to pay fines totalling £880, a victim surcharge of £352 and further costs of £350, bringing his total costs to £1,582.
His driving record was also endorsed with eight points.
Source: https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/23931392.oldham-man-posed-taxi-driver-despite-not-licenced/
Two types of taxi licence fees are set to rise in Powys next year, while one could drop.
According to the Brecon and Radnor Express, at the Powys County Council Planning, Licensing and Rights of Way committee on Thursday, November 23 councillors will discuss and vote on the proposals.
If approved the potential income to the council from the fees is worth an extra £4,600 to the licensing department, which equates to a rise of 3.8 per cent
The report said: “The number of current licences has increased on the last two years but have not yet recovered to pre Covid-19 levels.”
The report explains that fees are calculated using a “toolkit” devised by the All-Wales Licensing Expert Panel with assistance from the council’s finance team.
Fees from 12 neighbouring local authorities are included in the report so that councillors can compare and contrast.
On three-year licences, Powys proposes charging £284 which ranks it third of 13.
Of the 12 other authorities, Ceredigion Council charge £330 and Torfaen County Borough Council £365.
Some councils have much lower charges, Carmarthenshire County Council charge £137 and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council charge £138.
On the five-year private hire operator licences, Powys proposes a new fee of £355 which places it eighth of 12 authorities.
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council charge £115, while Ceredigion did not provide information for this type of licence.
Monmouthshire Council top the scale with a fee of £837.
The report said: “It must be remembered that it is difficult to make direct comparisons as fees will be specific to local staffing and on-costs, they also factor in the number of licences that are administered by the authority, both these can vary a great deal between authorities."
The report adds that some councils do their own “in-house” testing of vehicles at council garages which adds to their costs.
The report said: “In Powys we don’t currently carry out in-house garage checks, we rely on a recent MOT - hence the higher vehicle licence fees charged by other authorities.”
If councillors approve the changes the new fees will go out to consultation in line with the legal requirement.
If no objections are received the changes will come into force on April 1, 2024.
The fees for 2024/2025 which don’t include the cost for DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks are:
Hackney carriage private hire (1 year): £150 going up from £146 this year.
Driver licence (3 years): £284 up from £270.50 this year.
Private Hire Operators (5 years): £355 down from £358 this year.
The current number of licences are:
Driver licences – 475, down from 516 in 2019/2020.
Private Hire Operators – 67, down from 69 in 2019/2020.
Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Vehicles – 408, down from 429 in 2019/2020.
Source: https://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/news/powys-set-to-vote-on-taxi-licence-fee-changes-650783
A man who was caught with a "crudely modified" airgun in his man bag thanked a judge profusely as he was jailed.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Kyle Simm, 39, from Dingle, was caught with a gas-powered revolver, modified to shoot lead bullets, and four rounds of live ammunition on September 29 2023.
Police had been on patrol in Old Swan, at around 8.15pm when they noticed a white KIA Niro PHV driving onto Derby Lane with a "suspicious" male passenger in the back seat.
Prosecutor Neil Bisarya, at Liverpool Crown Court on 17 November, said: "The male sat in the rear of the taxi slouched with only his head visible. It appeared he was attempting to make himself less conspicuous and as a result the police decided to stop the vehicle to find out where the male was going and what he was doing."
The vehicle was pulled over by police on Prescot Road, and officers spoke to the passenger, identified as Simm.
Simm then got out of the car and said "nervously" that he was going to Dovecot to visit his son. As police looked into the back seat of the taxi and noticed Simm's "man bag" in the footwell, Simm fled in the direction of St Oswald's Street, turning onto Baden Road and vanishing after "likely jumping over an alley gate".
Police then searched the bag, which was found to contain a Brocock ME38 Magnum self-contained gas cartridge revolver and four rounds of Remington brand .22 rimfire cartridges, along with Simm's bank card, cash, a pipe and a lighter.
The airgun had been "crudely modified" to fire real bullets, however, an examination of the weapon found the ham-handed alteration would not have been able to fire as intended.
On Saturday, September 30, police visited Simm's address and spoke to his ex-partner, who had not seen him since he left the house the previous evening.
Further enquiries led police to a family member's home on October 4, where Simm was found hiding in the loft, and arrested.
He later pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the possession of the firearm, and two charges relating to the possession of the ammunition.
An analysis of his mobile phone showed searches for "glock" and "shotgun", and multiple photographs of guns.
Matthew O'Neill, defending, said: "He accepts, at age 39, his past has been blighted by the misuse of drugs and unfortunately this misuse of drugs has led him to a life of crime."
He said Simm, who has 17 convictions for 30 offences, "did not wish for him to offer any explanation as to why he has found with a dangerous weapon", but added: "There was no indication on his behalf for it to be used for any criminal purposes and he hadn't used it that evening."
Sentencing Simm to a total of seven and a half years in prison, Judge Andrew Menary said: "I know very little about your reasons for carrying that weapon on the night. Given it was being carried in a bag in the back of a taxi I'm bound to assume you were in possession of it for an illegal purpose.
"It may be that you were carrying it for another, but that was a role being played by you. The purpose could have been to do with drugs, or some serious dishonesty offence such as robbery, by you or someone else. But I'm sure your possession of the weapon was in connection with serious criminal offending."
Source: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/dad-sat-slouched-taxi-hoping-28125017
London's taxi fares could rise by almost nine per cent next year under plans being considered by Transport for London.
The Standard reports that fares, which are reviewed annually, rose by an average of 7.6 per cent in April.
Proposals range from freezing day, evening and weekend tariffs to increasing them by either 3.7 per cent, 5.2 per cent or 8.9 per cent.
The minimum fare would remain at £3.80 but a one-mile weekday journey would rise from about £6.80 at present to about £7.20 if the maximum increase is applied.
Similarly, a three-mile weekday evening journey would increase from about £15.80 to £17.20 under the highest option. The consultation closes today, Monday 20 November.
TfL is also considering whether to change the tariff for journeys of more than six miles. This would make daytime journeys more expensive but make long journeys at night cheaper.
The Heathrow premium of £3.60 that drivers can charge airport passengers on top of the cost of their journey could be reduced to £2, after the airport reduced its fee for drivers to access its taxi ranks from £7.20 to £3.60.
TfL said taxi drivers’ operating costs had increased by 5.2 per cent, in part due to vehicle costs, insurance and the cost of electric charging. At the same time, national earnings have increased by 3.7 per cent.
TfL said: “It is important that taxi drivers are able to cover their operating costs and are fairly paid. This helps ensure that working as a taxi driver remains an attractive choice of career.
“When we review taxi fares and tariffs we try to strike an appropriate balance between drivers being fairly paid and taxi users getting fair and affordable fares.”
There are 17,746 licensed black taxi drivers in London, down from 22,409 in March 2020, when the pandemic began.
A total of 14,611 black cabs are licensed – more than 4,000 fewer than the 18,961 on the road three-and-a-half years ago.
According to TfL, there are more than 106,000 licensed private hire drivers and more than 91,000 licensed PHVs – showing how dominant the sector has become over the traditional black taxi, due to smartphone apps such as Uber and Freenow.
Freenow, which has more than 20,000 London drivers using its app, is offering to cover the cost of studying “The Knowledge” to enable more minicab drivers to become licensed taxi drivers.
In an industry first, it says it will fund the application cost, tuition fee, exams and licensing – in excess of £2,000 over at least two years.
French taxi drivers are calling for government compensation after suffering significant revenue losses during the Paris Olympics.
Coventry city centre has introduced a new taxi marshal service aimed at improving safety and efficiency for late-night revellers.
A court heard harrowing details of the moment a drink-driving uninsured motorist killed three people in a 90mph crash.
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was amongst the thousands who enjoyed the Battle Proms at Highclere Castle on 3 August.
Swindon residents could be facing a hike in taxi fares from October after councillors gave the green light to a £1 increase in the standard fare minimum charge.
Ricky Harold, a 20-year veteran of the town’s taxi trade, was parked in a lay-by when his vehicle was struck from behind by a black Audi A2.
Chinese automotive giant Geely has deepened its commitment to the UK electric vehicle market with a £120m cash injection into London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC).
North Tyneside Council is facing a backlash over plans to increase taxi fares by 6.3%.
Nazim Asmal preyed on his victims after nights out in Preston and Darwen, driving them to secluded spots before carrying out horrific sexual assaults.
Newcastle is set to see a surge in pink taxis driven by women as part of a new initiative aimed at improving passenger safety.
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.
Cleethorpes taxi drivers are breathing a sigh of relief after council enforcement officers cracked down on vehicles illegally parked in designated taxi ranks.
A Barry man has avoided jail after launching a drunken attack on a taxi driver who refused him entry to his vehicle.
Jersey’s taxi service is in crisis, with driver numbers plummeting by more than a quarter since 2014, a new report has revealed.
On Wednesday 27 July, more than 300 vulnerable youngsters were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Southport.
Taxi drivers in the town will be able to charge passengers more following a decision by the borough council on 31 July.
A taxi driver has been sentenced to a community order after admitting causing the death of a pedestrian by driving at excessive speed.
A joint operation by council, police, and DVSA officials has seen three taxis taken off the road in Oldham due to safety concerns.
Taxi drivers licensed by Mid Sussex could soon be forced to accept card payments, following a surge in complaints about cash-only services.
Two men have avoided immediate jail time after a high-speed race left a taxi driver with serious injuries.